Visual Identity Resources

On this page you will find flexible and easy-to-use communications tools that will help you create and share CC stories and reflect the main elements that make Colorado College unique: our program, our place, and our people.

Most of these tools provide clear guidelines for the college logo, why it is meaningful in communicating about CC, and how to use it properly in communications efforts and materials. Other tools include a broad visual system, including an official expanded color palette and typography (fonts).

By using these tools well, the college community can help to ensure that communications about Colorado College are always strong, consistent, and purposeful. Please contact the professionals in the Office of Communications for further direction and assistance in using these tools.

Master Communications Plan

The Master Communications Plan is a major initiative of Colorado College’s Strategic Plan: To offer a clear, unified message to the campus community, alumni, and visitors, our communications efforts will reflect the nuances of our distinctive curricula and programs and our special place, signifying who we are as an intellectual community. In addition, our communications — ranging from the continued development of our brand to the signage we use to identify our physical resources — will portray a powerful, integrated presence. The Master Communications Plan, along with a new institutional logo, helps us achieve these goals.

View the Master Communications Plan to find out more of the plan’s purpose and process, guidelines to help you shape your stories, including tone of voice and writing style, and aspects of the broad visual identity system.

Visual Identity Guidelines

The Visual Identity Guidelines provide comprehensive direction for using the college logo in your communications material. The college logo comes in various configurations and main institutional colors, and it is important to understand when and how to use these configurations. The guidelines also cover an expanded color palette and official college typography (fonts).

College Logo and Seal

Below are download options for the college logo and college seal. There are two configurations for the college logo: Horizontal and Stacked. The primary presentation of the college logo should always be Horizontal and two-color (black and gold). Please refer to the Visual Identity Guidelines for further information in using the college logo.

There are two configurations for the college seal: Off-Centered and Centered. The primary presentation of the college seal should always be Off-Centered and two-color. Please refer to the Visual Identity Guidelines for further information in using the college seal.

The college logo and college seal also come in these color configurations: all black, all gold, and reverse (white). The main “CC” graphic in the college logo also comes in the following configurations: Diagonal Lines; Overlapping Squares; and Solid.

College Seal Downloads:

Official Typography

The official typefaces for the college are Proxima Nova and Electra. These are licensed fonts used in the Office of Communications. If your office or department cannot purchase licensed fonts for these typefaces, you may use Montserrat and Crimson Text. Both of these fonts are freely available for download from Google Fonts. From Google:

To make sure the fonts installed locally on your personal computer are always up-to-date, we recommend using a fonts manager (such as SkyFonts) that automatically syncs the latest versions of fonts from the Google Fonts API to your computer.

Montserrat is a sans-serif font and comes in Bold and Normal. This font should be used for bold headlines and subheads and to accent information. Crimson Text is a serif font and should be used for text and body copy. As a default of last resort, Verdana (a sans-serif font) and Georgia (a serif font) can be used under the same usage guidelines, and these fonts are found on every computer system.

Color Palette Swatches

An expanded color palette helps us to broaden our communications beyond black and gold. While black and gold will remain our primary brand colors, we have introduced new swatches that have a harmonious color relationship with our main gold color and reflect our sense of place.

Print and digital communications should use these as accent colors. They should be used to enhance your particular message and should always be paired with one of the primary colors.

Email Signature Generator

You can now create your own branded Colorado College email signature. You can create your email signature quickly and easily, along with learning how to add the generated email signature to your Outlook email application or web mail. Having a branded CC email signature helps the college communicate to our respective audiences with a single, consistent voice. To ensure consistency, please do not change characteristics nor add additional information to your email signature. If you require additional information in your signature, please consult the Office of Communications at x6603.

Email Banner

If you currently use the retired college word mark in the header or footer of your email communications, please replace it with a new banner containing the current college logo.

Basic Templates

Below are basic, blank templates that contain the college logo that you can use for your communications efforts. The downloads include the blank PDF template with logo, a template with guides built in, and an example of a finished communications piece that illustrates how the template can be used.

Please contact the Office of Communications for any custom templates or projects beyond these basic materials.